memorial day.

we spent the memorial day weekend at Bryan's family cabin just outside of Altonah/Mountain Home, Utah (which is also just outside of Duchesne.)

it was a really rainy weekend and the horses haven't been ridden in yet, so there wasn't much to do. but it was  absolutely PERFECT and i wouldn't have had it any other way.

we spent time playing go fish, screw your neighbor, and skittles (our new favorite). we read children's books to each other and took a nap on a very small couch. we cleaned the whole cabin. we went on a walk to the reservoir. and went on a bear scavenger hunt (there has been sightings of a black bear on the property, so naturally we went looking for it.)

so even though it was rainy and quite frigid, we had an amazing weekend. too bad weekends always end.

ghost mountain. can you tell why?

p.s. i hate to say this, but it snowed last night there and we even woke up to snow on the ground this morning. spring has not yet sprung.

p.s.s. 28 days, 16 hours and 39 minutes until our day! 

remember to write.

let me brag for a minute... i am good at keeping a journal. i'm not saying i'm a good writer, but i do remember to write things down. and boy am i grateful for that skill!

i've been reading my journals from my hillside days through pep club and high school adventures through living in the dorms up until my most recent journal which i write on my laptop. it is SO interesting.

i have totally forgotten about some of the things i spent pages and pages on because it was such a big deal to me. who knew i was a poet in 9th grade and wrote poems for like a week straight? when i was mad i wrote in cursive because i could write faster that way. and sometimes when i didn't have anything to write i wrote down what i wore that day, what i ate, what t.v. shows i watched and other dumb details.

the best part of my journal keeping skills?

i have SO many little stories about how much i liked Bry! Starting in 2004 and continuing all throughout each and every journal I wrote about how hot he was (and is), and how cool he was (and is).

for example:
from november 11, 2004 (age 15): "Bryan Baucom. He's hilarious, cute, nice, everything. I saw him at the Ranch and we talked pretty much the whole time. He said he would call me this weekend... He better call!!" (I later wrote about how upset I was when he didn't call...)

from august 24, 2005 (age 16): "Me and Bryan have hung out every day this week. it's been so fun!"

and from january 3, 2010 (age 20): "Bryan gets home in 4 months! That's only 4 periods! That's soon! I can't wait!"

another good part from my journal i can see how dumb i was. which i'm too embarrassed about to share with the blogging world.

a perfect love.

Today I've been helping my Dad type old letters from my Grandpa Evans' missionary scrapbooks for a biography he is putting together.

It has been touching to read and type the gentle and loving letters my Grandpa sent to his family while he was on his 3 year mission to Uruguay in 1950, each showcasing his powerful testimony of the church and depicting a story of his adventures as a missionary.

I have been really interested by a certain set of letters that were sent between my Grandpa and his mother (my Great Grandma) during a time of trial in their family. Within 3 months both his father and his oldest brother passed away unexpectedly. These hand-written, smeared letters hold such a testimony of my Grandpa and his strength. His letters offer a comfort to his mother though he was thousands of miles away.

My Great Grandma's were the most moving, it was hard not to cry as I was typing the sweet words she said about her husband and the strength she demonstrated during such a trying time.

"Your father and I had a perfect love. We quarreled, we argued, we kidded, we laughed together but we had a perfect understanding. I thank my Father in Heaven for letting me have his son for over thirty years. Part of me died with Daddy. I feel like an empty shell moving around, but I know that I will live many years and Daddy is with me sustaining me and directing me. We loved him as he loves us and we will miss him terribly but he has gone to a greater work and he is still preparing for us just as he always did here." 

I didn't know my Great Grandma well, but I have come to know that she was an amazing wife and mother who raised an amazing son, who I am lucky enough to call Grandpa. 

my great grandma evans and my aunts and uncles. (my mom is the far left with the pigtails)

new finds!

vintage, old, classic, colorful, or anthropologie. 

if these words are appealing to you... check out these places

(i did today and was very pleasantly surprised):

HOME AGAIN 

(located on 21st south: right across from paradise bakery)

i can't wait to decorate our apartment with vintage colorful tables from this consignment shop. all reasonably priced! the furniture is all wood, all hand painted and all with a vintage theme. the best part, they are all in great condition!

THE VINTAGE BUTTERFLY

(located at 20th south, 9th east: right across from the big LDS church there)

this place was a bit more expensive than home again but they had lots of amazing frames, tables, and knick knacks. 

SECOND HAND CHIC

(located in the same parking lot as the vintage butterfly)

this place was like walking into a cheap, less put together anthroplogie. my favorite thing i saw was an old typewriter and old cash register. i also saw some lovely chairs and beautiful dressers. i didn't notice the price however.

ABODE

(located on 9th east and about 17th south)

you will be awed walking into this one. there is SO much stuff! dolls, clothes, shoes, suitcases, cookware, old books, literally EVERYTHING. i went into this store because there were some doors outside that i wanted but i was pleasantly surprised by a huge rack of fun dresses.

i highly recommend you take a stroll through these stores! 

SMG.. this ones for you! you would LOVE all of these places.

love, melis 

life changers

i think we all have a few certain people in our lives who had a major effect on our life but they may never know it. i can think of two people who changed the entire path of my life. i actually think of these people quite often but they probably don't even remember my name.... 

1. SUE HALL. She was my riding instructer for 5+ years who taught me a ton about horses. She taught me how to take care of horses, all about the equipment, how to ride, how to show and so much more. I always felt special when she'd give me a "tough" horse to ride and said she knew I could do it. I was a really shy kid when I took lessons from Sue but I loved listening to her horse stories. And i always thought it was so cool that she started her own business and owned so many horses right in her backyard. Eventually she gave me the horse I had been riding for a few years, Bert for $1. And even though a few years later I stopped taking lessons I think of her all the time when I play with Bert at Wallsburg. She made my little girl dream come true and changed my life forever.

The day I got Bert.

2. JOHN TOMASI. He was my first ever lacrosse coach and also one of the best coaches I've ever had. I started lacrosse because Marin Rowe and Sam Jensen did it to "keep in shape for soccer," and my best friend Mandy Jacobsen (Sorensen) was going to play too. I bought my own $40 stick and the cheapest goggles I could find. Tomasi (and his 1 year-old daughter Mia who sat in his backpack) was so dedicated to the team and always wanted the best for us. He worked us hard and made sure we could all catch and throw. He gave me the Rookie of the Year award and kept encouraging me to try out for Team Utah and other teams. He took me under his wing and made sure I was going to keep playing and keep getting better. Some of the most memorable lacrosse moments come from him yelling from the sidelines or making fun of us "stupid girls," or toilet papering his house. Lacrosse has become such a major part of my life and I owe it all to Tomasi for teaching me how to play.

Tomasi and Mia (after a loss it looks like).

Who has changed your life forever? Think about it. 

thank goodness for the weekend.

We've had such a good weekend! Let me give you the highlights...

1. It was our dating anniversary.

2. We played hours of tennis and basketball. 

3. We got our engagement pictures back.

4. B got a very significant raise. 

5. I got a new phone. 

6. The Heat won. 

7. I figured out how to work my new phone. 

8. B has his complete wedding day attire. 

9. Bob's Brainfreeze opened.

I was most excited about #3.

B was most excited about #6.

The most depressing is #2, I lost almost every time.

#4 is the most relieving. 

And #7 was the most needed. 

And here are some teasers... 

all thanks to miesh photography. she is amazing.

365.

Bry and I have officially been dating ONE YEAR today! 

Last year at this time Bry had been home from Oregon for three weeks and we went to Yellowstone Ranch for the day. We walked along the pipe to the reservoir and made PB & J sandwiches and talked for a long time. 

It was an amazing day and since then we've had 364 more amazing days. 

(Besides the 16 days we didn't see each other because of Hawaii, Provo or lacrosse trips).

a favorite.

love ya B. this year has been the adventure of a lifetime. you're the best.